Hero Item: The Khaki Military Jacket

One of my best purchases of the year so far has undoubtedly been my khaki military jacket. Mr DF bought it for me from the original True Religion store in LA in February, at the same time as buying the boyfriend jeans that are constantly featured on this blog! I had been searching for one for a while to wear with denim and a slouchy tee, but it actually seems to work with most things, across all seasons, proving to be a great investment. Less formal than a blazer, but smarter than a denim jacket, it's so easy to throw on over most outfits. As well as looking great with jeans, I've also worn it this summer over a maxi dress and with a pretty floral dress to toughen up the look. This autumn I will get more wear out of it over thin, layered knits, paired with leather trousers, skinny jeans and bright scarves or shoes to add a pop of colour.

Here are some pictures from Pinterest for inspiration:

Perfect over a simple grey tee and black jeans:

It goes so well over a classic Breton top:

A fabulous pop of colour from the shoes:

Works surprisingly well to dress down a dressed up outfit:

And some khaki jackets that I like at the moment:

The ultimate camo military jacket from Current Elliott that would go with anything:

Current Elliott Infantry Jacket £201.44

A shirt rather than a jacket, but looks great at this time of year over a grey vest or tee:

Topshop MOTO Khaki Tencel Shirt £42

Perfect for autumn in a heavier twill cotton with a drawcord at the waist to make it more fitted:

GAP Military Jacket £69.95

A cropped version from Mango:

Mango Military Cropped Jacket £44.99

And finishing with mine from True Religion (no longer showing on their website)

So do you have a khaki jacket and have you found that you also can't be without it?

As always I like to hear your comments!

Abbi x

Transitional Item: The Open Toe Shoe Boot

I haven't written about open toe shoe boots before, but it's one of my favourite footwear trends of the last few years. The change of seasons can be a tricky fashion time, and the unpredictable weather can mean jeans one day and shorts the next. For cooler summer weather and in early autumn, the peep-toe ankle boot is the perfect transitional item, combining the best of both sandals and traditional boots.

They can easily take you from the office to a night out, and add a stylish, modern finish to any outfit. They look great with jeans or leather trousers and are the perfect choice for adding an edge to a pretty dress.

Here are my current favourites:

I've always loved boots from Whistles and these beauties would be top of my list if I had the budget:

Ania Open Toe Boot £165

And a very flattering pair from Karen Millen:

Leather Peep Toe Shoe Boot £155

Karen Millen also has a mid heeled pair in black:

Mid Heel Leather Shoe Boot £155

Mint Velvet do some fabulous shoe boots - I love this chic cut out leather pair:

Black Melissa Shoe Boot £129

And a more summery pair from Mint Velvet in taupe suede, which also comes in a soft grey:

Taupe Tyla Suede Shoe Boot £129

I've been really impressed with shoes from Next over the last year or so and these look like a classic and more affordable version:

High Front Buckle Shoots £46

And here are mine from Topshop (now sold out), worn here last weekend to dinner at friends, with black double zip jeans from Mint Velvet and a grey knit top from Karen Millen that I borrowed from my Mum:

I love the detail on the back of the Karen Millen top:

And here is a close up of the shoe boots:

And I wore them again this week when I was staying with my sister this week, with faux leather Zara trousers from a couple of years ago and a wrap top from Mint Velvet:

Do you like open toed boots? I would love to know what you think..

I am now on holiday count down, four more sleeps!

Abbi x

Dungarees - to wear or not to wear?

Dungarees have continued to make a comeback this year although they are the classic Marmite item - you either love them or loathe them.

I have always been a fan, they are comfortable and stylish, and allow you to be practical while having a bit of an edge. They are a tricky trend to pull off for sure, but I thought it would be fun to try them! They are actually surprisingly easy to wear,  just add a Breton tee and sandals or a pair of converse for the weekend.

I spotted a pair in the NEXT directory a few weeks ago and when I was ordering some school uniform for the boys I decided to give them a go. I've waited ages to wear them as it's been too hot, but this weekend they made their debut at the beach (worn here with a dark green and cream striped tee from Whistles about three years ago):

And again on a walk with the family (worn with a tee from Zara from last summer and Birkenstocks):

I've had fairly mixed comments about them so far. My five year old said they look 'really bad' but I'm not sure he was really listening. My seven year old said they make me 'look like a little girl'. Always nice to look younger, but not really what I was aiming for. Mr DF laughed and said they make me look like a builder and then said 'they are not very feminine'. Actually you can make them more feminine by wearing with heels and putting a blouse underneath instead of a tee, but I am sticking with the more relaxed look. My Mum really liked them, and she will always give me an honest answer, so I felt confident enough to leave the house!

If you are thinking of dipping your toe into this trend, I would advise getting a cheaper pair as dungarees are not something you'll wear ever day! My NEXT ones don't seem to be online anymore, but these from New Look are very similar:

Dark Blue Denim Skinny Dungaree £26.99

I also love this summery striped pair from Zara, now only £9.99 from £39.99

Striped Dungarees

And new  in at Mango, a distressed pair in dark denim:

Dark Denim Dungarees £54.99

So what do you think - more farmer than fashionista or does it sort of work?

Abbi x

Sales confessions

My last post may have been all about autumn clothing, but I am still well and truly focused on summer clothes with only a week to go until our fortnight in France. The sales may be in their final stages, but there are still bargains to be had - last week I picked up this embroidered smock dress from Mango for my holiday:

Mango Embroidered Smock Dress £33 from £44.99

I'd had my eye on it all season and couldn't believe it when I saw it in the sale as it's been so popular. It is still available in small sizes at ASOS, but has sold out everywhere else. I love the woven cotton material and the stunning embroidery detail. Here I am wearing it this week - such an easy breezy dress for the beach and I will wear it as a tunic over skinny jeans when the holidays are over:

Yes, the other sales purchase was the fabulos yellow bowling bag from Boden:

Soft Leather Bowling Bag £69.50 from £159

This was a very planned purchase, again something that I had admired all season, and at half price in the sale, it would have been rude not too! It's the perfect size and the leather is so soft. I didn't take it to the beach, but I do love it with the Mango dress as there is yellow in the embroidery:

Have you made a final sales purchase or are you looking ahead to autumn?

Abbi x

Shifting Seasons: Boden Autumn/Winter

It's hard to think about autumn when the weather is still so wonderful but the arrival of the new Boden catalogue always marks the time when my attention shifts to what's on offer for the new season. It always makes me do a mental check list of what I need/would like for the coming months ahead (the truth is nothing, but we all know that's not going to happen!). However, I am going to be very frugal and only buy a few classics/investment pieces, no more impulse buying!

So, without further ado, my favourites from the new Boden collection:

I always look at their shoes and accessories first, as I generally prefer them to the clothes. I noticed this straightaway as I have been on the look out for a navy bag, but as I love wearing black and navy together, this would be perfect:

Draycott Bag £169

Moving on to shoes, these are my favourite - so on trend, if I could buy just one thing from the catalogue, it would be these:

Flat T-Bar Point £69

I adore leopard print accessories and these slingbacks would make a work suit more interesting as well as looking equally fabulous with jeans for a night out:

Sixties Slingbacks £110

Boden does an updated version of these classic boho style boots every year and they look great with tights and dresses, I particularly like the navy this year:

Boho Boot £119

Pink coats are still very much on trend this autumn and this one really stands out:

Eliza Coat £189

Not something I would normally pick out, but I love this blouse, would look great with jeans, heels and a little boxy jacket:

Paris Blouse £69

My favourite dress is this sixties inspired one:

Ottoman Shift £79

But I prefer this very cute skirt and love how they've styled it:

Jersey Jacquard Skirt £59

As always, their trusty Breton tops make the top ten:

Long Sleeve Breton £25

And an equally stylish jumper version:

Everyday Jumper £59

But going back to my post the other day on how I can't resist Breton tops with a twist - how gorgeous is this one with a sparkly collar?

Sparkle Collar Breton £39

And finishing with my outfit from today - True Religion boyfriend jeans with ruffle tee from Mango and sandals from H&M.

So, has anything caught your eye from the new Boden collection?

As always, I love to hear from you

Abbi x

Outfit Post: Great Plains Shirt Dress

A great start to the summer holidays - we had a day at home to get sorted and then travelled up to Lincolnshire on Thursday for my Mother-in-Law's birthday. Ten of us went out for a lovely lunch yesterday - I wore a silky shirt dress by Great Plains that I bought in the sale at Yard last summer. It was a great buy as I wore it with tights and ankle boots and a leather jacket thrown over in the autumn, but this is the first time I've worn it as a summer dress:

Shirt dresses are a versatile item to have in your wardrobe over the summer months as they can be worn to work with heels or wedge sandals or dressed down for more casual occasions with flats. This one works so well in this hot weather as it's such a thin, drapey material. I'm wearing it here with snakeskin sandals from H&M.

If you like the look of the one above, Great Plains has some shirt dresses in the sale this year.

I love this graphic printed one, perfect for this year's monochrome trend and now half price in the sale:

Caligari Shirt Dress £25 from £50

And this checked shirt dress is so cute and feminine:

Jenna Checked Shirt Dress £39 from £50

I love the more relaxed fit of this classic shirt dress:

Get Knotted Print Dress £39 from £55

And another feminine style in navy with a full broderie anglaise skirt:

Fluerette Broderie Detail Dress £32.50 from £65

So is a shirt dress a necessity for you in the summer months? As always I like to hear from you...

Abbi xx

Last Day of Term: Outfits

It feels like the longest term ever, but finally my two little boys broke up for the summer holidays on Tuesday afternoon. I can't believe my youngest has finished his reception year and my eldest will be going into Year 3 - but for now we have six weeks to chill out together and I can't wait!

This is what I wore to church to the Leaver's Service on another very hot day:

The jersey midi dress is from Uniqlo, I have featured it on the blog before and it has been an excellent buy for such a bargain price! It's so easy to wear, just add sandals or flip flops and you're good to go. The teal colour that I'm wearing has sold out but they still have the dress in grey or dark brown for an unbelievable £7.90 here. 

I'm wearing it above with my black toe post sandals from Topshop (sold out) and black cross body bag by Nat & Nin at Yard.

The boys broke up after lunch and after a smoothie at our favourite Soulshine Cafe (see my review here) we managed to drag Mr DF away from his work for a game of tennis en famille. It was then a quick change to go out with the girls for a curry before we all disperse for the summer. I wore my True Religion boyfriend jeans with this silk ruffle top from Topshop (over seven years old) and navy suede wedge sandals from LK Bennett (also at least seven years old). I love getting really old things out and seeing if they still work and this top is a particular favourite, it's so pretty and the silk is so thin - perfect for a warm evening:

Hope everyone has a wonderful summer holiday - I will be back with practical but stylish suggestions for the weeks ahead!

Abbi x